Bears formerly owned the Fire and they always took it about with them. One time they set it on the ground and went on farther eating acorns. The Fire nearly went out and called aloud. It was almost extinguished. “Feed me,” it said. Then some human beings saw it. They got a stick toward the north and laid it down upon it. They got another stick toward the west and laid it down upon it. They got a stick at the south and laid it down there. They got another at the east and laid it down and the Fire blazed up. When the bears came to get their Fire, it said, “I don’t know you any more.” They did not get it back and so it belongs to human beings.

Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians, by John R. Swanton; Smithsonian Institution, USGPO, Washington, D.C.; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 88 (1929) and is now in the public domain.

Crane and Humming Bird were wagering things against each other. Humming Bird said, “I can beat you in a race,” but Crane answered, “You can not beat me.” So he said, “Let us meet on a certain sandy beach.” “All right,” the other answered.

They jumped up at the same moment and Humming Bird flew out of sight. Crane flew along slowly behind him. He went all night and all day without stopping and stood upon a white sandy beach. Afterwards Humming Bird came flying to the spot. “I have beaten you,” said Crane. Crane sang, “He wants to beat him. Hayoya’ hiya hayuya’ hi’ya hikamo’ca hikamo’lapi’tcai’i wa wa.”

(The last words are said to be in the Muskogee language, but I can not identify them.)

Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians, by John R. Swanton; Smithsonian Institution, USGPO, Washington, D.C.; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 88 (1929) and is now in the public domain.

Six brothers lived together. While five of them were out hunting the last one remained at home as cook. He spent his time digging wild potatoes close to the water and washing them. He took one white wild potato and was trying to wash it when it fell into the water and disappeared. He hunted about in the water for it for a while and pulled out a baby tied to a baby board. He brought it to camp and laid it down. When the others came back he said, “I have a little something to show you.” Bringing something out, he took out a baby on a baby board.

They kept the child, which was a girl, and when she grew up and they were gone hunting she stayed there and cooked. At that time a Sharp-buttocks came in a canoe, landed, and brought fish. He said (in Choctaw), “Very good niece of the six men, roast it for me.” “How shall I roast it?” “Stick your finger into it, put it close to the fire and it will be done.” “How shall I set it down for you?” she said. “Stoop over and lie down,” he answered. And when she stooped over and lay down, he ate it up on her back and it killed her, and he went off in his canoe. Afterwards she returned to life.

The next time her brothers went hunting the Sharp-buttocks brought fish and said, “Roast it for me,” and she roasted it for him with the same result as before.

“Next time say to him, ‘You roast it for me’” her brothers said to her, and they stayed near by. When he came, he said, “Roast this for me,” but she answered, “You roast it for me.” They remained a little while, saying to each other, “You roast it for me,” when the brothers all exclaimed, “Roast it for me,” and came in. Sharp-buttocks said, “How shall I roast it?” “Stick it on your buttocks,” they said, and he stuck it on his buttocks. After he had stooped down for a little while, it was cooked. “How shall I set it out for you to eat?” he said. (“Stoop over and lie down,” they said.) He stooped over and lay down, they ate off of his back, and killed him. Then they took him back, put him into the canoe, pushed it off, and it started away. It went on, turning about as it went, and presently remained circling about in one spot. One of the brothers went to discover why this was so and did not come back. Another went and did not return. The next went and did not return. The fourth went and did not return. Another went and did not return.

Then the last one started off. Going on for a while he came to where a persimmon tree stood, climbed up into it and ate some of the fruit. The stem of this tree was smooth on one side as if someone had climbed it frequently. While he was standing there, a female Big Man-eater came underneath carrying a basket in which was a club (atåsi). She looked up and saw him. She said, “Get down and let us wrestle, he he he he.” So the man came down and when he got to the ground the Big Man-eater laid the basket with the club to one side and stood ready. When he got down they wrestled and after a while the Big Man-eater threw him down. But he got up and they wrestled again. After they had done this for a while she threw him down again. He stood up again and when in wrestling around they got close to the basket, the man threw the Big Man-eater down, seized the club, killed her, and cut her head off.(1) But when Big Man-eater said “Come together,” it reunited with the body. When he cut it off again, she said, “Come together,” and it reunited. It kept on reuniting every time, but the fourth time he cut the head off it remained that way.

When she was dead the man cut her in pieces and threw the parts away. He took out her heart and hit a tree with it. “Stick there and become tree fungus (båkta),” he said. The intestines he took and threw into the bushes and they hung on a tree. “Keep on hanging as bålkapitca (a long blue or black vine found in the bottoms),” he said. Her nose he cut off and carried along, and he took the club and carried that also, going in the direction from which the Big Man-eater had come.

Presently he heard some girls pounding corn with a pestle and reached the place. When he sat down with them they saw the club and said, “This looks like our grandmother’s club.” “No,” he answered, “God sent it to me.” They saw her nose and said, “This looks like our grandmother’s nose.” “No,” he answered, “It is a pipe which God sent me.” “The club is to tickle people,” he said, and he tried to tickle them. “If you all lie down in a straight line, I will tickle you,” he said. All lay down, whereupon he stood over them holding the club and cut all of their throats.

Then he asked a boy who was there, “Do you eat human beings who are brought here?” “Yes,” he said. “Where do you throw their bones?” he asked. “We throw them over there under that tree,” he answered. “Go and point out the place.” So he guided him and he went there. He reached the place and said “Here it is,” and there were many human bones piled under that tree. Then the youth shot an arrow up and when it came down said, “Look out! It will stick into you.(2) “Ofhaha,” said the dead man, and awoke and sat down. He shot above the next in the same manner and when the arrow descended he awoke and sat down. It went on that way until all came to life.

Then he took them and guided them on. “Do not turn to look behind you,” he said. He went on, but after they had gone along for a while one looked back and turned into a wildcat. It said “Wā’ō, wā’ō,” and disappeared. The others went on for a while, when another turned and looked back. He turned into a crow, crying, “a’ a’ a’” and flew out of sight. After they had gone on for a while longer another one turned and looked back. He turned into a chicken hawk which cried “bīånk, bīånk, bīånk,” and flew out of sight. Two others disappeared in the same way until only the first one returned to his place.

Footnotes

(1) According to another version the cannibal woman struck at him with her war club before he reached the ground but he dodged to the other side of the trunk and her club stuck fast in it. Afterwards he killed her by means of a stick.

(2) According to another version he first fitted the bones together.

Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians, by John R. Swanton; Smithsonian Institution, USGPO, Washington, D.C.; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 88 (1929) and is now in the public domain.

A man who spit out beads lived in a certain place, and two women set out to visit him because they wanted beads. By and by they came within sight of a pond. A Night Owl was there picking up leaves in the water in order to find a sabia he had lost. Then they said to him, “Where is Bead-spitter’s house?” And he answered, “On this little trail.” They went on and reached a house which was really that of Owl. After they had been there for some time Owl started off while his sister kept watch of them. He went to Bead-spitter’s house to dance. Then the two women followed to look at him. When Owl, who was dancing with animal entrails tied around his neck, saw them coming, he pretended that something had gotten into his eye and was paining him, and he stopped dancing. He threw the entrails on the ground. Then he ran away. But the women stayed at that house, the house of Bead-spitter.

After that Owl started from home and arrived during the night at the house of Bead-spitter. He took a sharp deer horn, placed the point against Bead-spitter’s ear, and struck it. He drove it deep into Bead-spitter’s ear, and it killed him. Then the women wept. He was a chief and when day came the people told Owl the news. Owl and all of his family came to look. They came wailing.

After that the people said, “Let us see who will be the first to kill a white deer. The first to kill one shall have these two women.” Owl wanted them and he went away and killed a white dog, but the girls’ brother killed a white deer. Next they said, “The first to kill a white turkey shall have these two girls.” So several of them got into a canoe and started for the other side of the ocean where the white turkeys lived. By and by they reached the other side and landed. Then the girls’ brother killed a white turkey. But the others had said, “When you hear a shot, come back quickly to the canoe,” so, when they heard the shot, they came back to the canoe on the run, got into it, and started back. Before the man who had killed the turkey got there they were far out, but, when he came, he shot at the canoe and broke it. Some of the people were drowned, but Owl, holding on to pieces of the canoe, drifted on and got ashore. The youth remained, meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean. He traveled along close to the shore, but Big Man-eater, who wanted to kill him, followed his trail. His dogs were tigers (panthers). The boy climbed up into a tree and the panthers could not find him. They hunted about everywhere in vain. Finally Big Man-eater became angry and killed and ate them. Then he threw their bones into a riddle and sifted them. He whistled, all came back to life, and he sent them after the young man again.

The youth had started off aimlessly. Traveling on, looking about him, he saw two girls bathing in the river. They took him home and married him, but their mother wanted to kill him. When they lay down on the bed a snake lay under it watching all night. When the old woman approached intending to kill him it hissed. The next night a white crane watched. It stayed in the same place and was awake when she approached. The third night the crane watched again.

The fourth night a big earthen pot kept guard. About midnight the old woman got up, seized a stick, and struck it. She broke the pot in pieces.

Next day the youth went out with his bow and arrows. He shot forty parrakeets,(1) roasted them, tied them together, and, took them with him. He went to the shore of the ocean with them and began calling out. He called to the different creatures in the ocean to come to him. The alligator came out of the water first, but he said, “You are not the one I want.” Next the long snake came out and he said, “It isn’t you.” The third time he called there came up a snake with long horns (tcinto såktco, “snake crawfish”), and the youth climbed upon it and sat on its back. He took his roasted birds with him. Then he started to recross the ocean. He would throw a piece of roasted meat in front and the snake would go forward toward the ocean, seize it, and eat it. After it had finished it, it would begin to sink under the water, but he would throw another piece of meat in front of it and it would go on. After his meat was used up, he would shoot an arrow on ahead, and the snake, thinking it was more meat, would start after that. Then the youth picked up his arrow and shot again, and the snake started on again. The fourth time the snake brought him to the bank and, picking up his arrow, the boy jumped ashore.

As the young man climbed the bank the sand kept caving in and carrying him down again, but he persevered and got out. He started on and reached his home. When he arrived he saw his grandmother sitting on the floor, and he said to her repeatedly, “I am come,” but she answered, “Some crow is always telling me lies.” She seized a scratching stick and beat about her in the endeavor to hit him. When she did not believe him, he drew his bowstring across her eyes and they were both opened. “Where are my sisters?” he said to her, and she answered, “They are the wives of Owl, but they do not like him.”

Then he took his arrows and started on. When he got to the place the two women were pounding corn, while Owl sat near making an ax handle. Then the youth went around to the trail on which they went to get water. While he stood there his sisters came for water and he concealed himself. After they had passed he stuck an arrow up in the trail and concealed himself once more. Now, when they came back, one of the girls said, “This looks like our brother’s arrow,” but the other answered, “He whom you mention has long been dead.” But presently he stood out and made a noise and they saw him. When they saw him they were very glad. He said to them, “Get water and fill up the pot and put it on the fire. When the water boils and Owl is looking, say, ‘Look! Look!’ Throw his children into it and run away.” After they had spent some time getting water, they filled the pot full, made a fire, and brought the water to a boil. Then they took the children, said, “Look! Look!” threw them into it, and ran off. Owl said, “I will beat you to death,” and ran after them, but in mid-course he saw the brother of his wives standing before him. He tried to say, “I don’t want to hurt them,” but the youth shot and killed him. Then he took his two sisters and they went home together to their grandmother.

Footnotes

(1) The identity of these birds is somewhat uncertain.

Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians, by John R. Swanton; Smithsonian Institution, USGPO, Washington, D.C.; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 88 (1929) and is now in the public domain.( )

Once a Fire was almost burned out and was making the hissing sound then usually heard. When a man asked it what it wanted, the Fire said, “Something to eat.” “What do you want to eat?” “I want to eat wood.” So the man picked up some dead wood and piled a quantity of it on the Fire. The Fire grew bigger and bigger, and the man kept piling on more and more wood, until the Fire cried to the man to hold all of the animals back so that they would not be burned.

Myths and Tales of the Southeastern Indians, by John R. Swanton; Smithsonian Institution, USGPO, Washington, D.C.; Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 88 (1929) and is now in the public domain.